1.Title, director and release year?
The Corporation was made by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott and was released in 2003.
2.What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
The main argument of this film was focused on the main problem that almost every sustainability issue has: corporations. They are the major reason why these problems are here in the first place. They continue to make the problems worse as the government either ignores or even encourages their actions. All a company wants to achieve is making a profit. They are not as concerned with the risks that are involved in the products that they make, the chemicals they produce, or the areas they severely affect. Our law has given the power to the corporations, rightfully of course. However, they have abused this power. “A corporation is a person,” under the 14th Amendment, so have the rights and the protections that any person would have. The business dealings that corporations conduct have caused or encouraged many sustainability issues.
3.What sustainability problems does the film draw out?
There are so many sustainability problems concerning corporations, and they are all significant. One would be the legal and governmental support that corporations have that give them a lot of power. The lawyers of these companies are paid a large amount of money to protect them from any lawsuits that may take place. Usually, these are settled with money, and they continue their normal business. The government gives subsidies for certain companies due to the fact that it benefits them. Legislation hasn’t been made to decrease the movement of companies, but only to increase them. Corporations operate overseas, and a lot more sustainability problems exist over there as well. As always, the environment is another one. Companies are trying to privatize water, use untested chemicals, and polluting without a care. Globalization restricts the government, as they have less power and leverage over the companies. Health hazards are also a major part, as we use products willingly without knowing what affects they may have on ourselves or the environment. Labor is another concern, as the workers are paid significantly lower than the cost of the product, as the profit only benefits the wealthy.
4.What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
What I found interesting suggested by the film was the fact that if a corporation is guilty, they get fined. They don’t obey the law. They conduct a cost benefit analysis over the chance of getting caught or a better business opportunity. This is why corporations are very dangerous, and also explains why they cause several sustainability issues.
5.What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by?
There were no parts of the film that I wasn’t convinced by.
6.What additional information does this film compel you to seek out? Where do you want to dig deeper and what connections do you want to make with other issues, factors, problems, etc.?
I have made several connections in the research I have done for my presentations that relate to corporations. What I would want to go into more detail is the fact that we can patent anything but humans! That can cause significant problems, and I want to learn more about that.
7.What audiences does the film best address? What kind of imagination is fostered in viewers? Do you think the film is likely to change the way viewers think about and act on environmental problems?
The audiences that the film addresses are mainly focused on the younger working class and those who are about to enter the workforce. Understanding the dark side of the corporation could help restrict the problems that are associated with them. The more people that are working for these corporations that are educated with these facts, the greater the chance that it may enlighten them and possibly make a difference. In turn, this could help some environmental issues around the world.
8.What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film?
There are several suggestions in order to solve or reduce the affects that are made by the movie. The film showed that both industry and the government are working and conspiring together as the corporations attempt to build the trust between them and the government. Now, I’m not sure how true that statement is, but they are not far from it as it has been demonstrated in many cases. There needs to a separation between the government and corporations. Some Pennsylvania towns have determined that corporations are not a person. By help resolving the issue with corporations, we can decrease our impact on the earth.
9.What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
I believe that the film did a good job on introducing environmental problems and how they are being fueled by certain corporations. This movie was in no way focused on environmental issues, but an entire array of sustainability problems. This is the greatest example of the matrix.
The Corporation
1. Title, director and release year?
The Corporation was made by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott and was released in 2003.
2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
The main argument of this film was focused on the main problem that almost every sustainability issue has: corporations. They are the major reason why these problems are here in the first place. They continue to make the problems worse as the government either ignores or even encourages their actions. All a company wants to achieve is making a profit. They are not as concerned with the risks that are involved in the products that they make, the chemicals they produce, or the areas they severely affect. Our law has given the power to the corporations, rightfully of course. However, they have abused this power. “A corporation is a person,” under the 14th Amendment, so have the rights and the protections that any person would have. The business dealings that corporations conduct have caused or encouraged many sustainability issues.
3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?
There are so many sustainability problems concerning corporations, and they are all significant. One would be the legal and governmental support that corporations have that give them a lot of power. The lawyers of these companies are paid a large amount of money to protect them from any lawsuits that may take place. Usually, these are settled with money, and they continue their normal business. The government gives subsidies for certain companies due to the fact that it benefits them. Legislation hasn’t been made to decrease the movement of companies, but only to increase them. Corporations operate overseas, and a lot more sustainability problems exist over there as well. As always, the environment is another one. Companies are trying to privatize water, use untested chemicals, and polluting without a care. Globalization restricts the government, as they have less power and leverage over the companies. Health hazards are also a major part, as we use products willingly without knowing what affects they may have on ourselves or the environment. Labor is another concern, as the workers are paid significantly lower than the cost of the product, as the profit only benefits the wealthy.
4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
What I found interesting suggested by the film was the fact that if a corporation is guilty, they get fined. They don’t obey the law. They conduct a cost benefit analysis over the chance of getting caught or a better business opportunity. This is why corporations are very dangerous, and also explains why they cause several sustainability issues.
5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by?
There were no parts of the film that I wasn’t convinced by.
6. What additional information does this film compel you to seek out? Where do you want to dig deeper and what connections do you want to make with other issues, factors, problems, etc.?
I have made several connections in the research I have done for my presentations that relate to corporations. What I would want to go into more detail is the fact that we can patent anything but humans! That can cause significant problems, and I want to learn more about that.
7. What audiences does the film best address? What kind of imagination is fostered in viewers? Do you think the film is likely to change the way viewers think about and act on environmental problems?
The audiences that the film addresses are mainly focused on the younger working class and those who are about to enter the workforce. Understanding the dark side of the corporation could help restrict the problems that are associated with them. The more people that are working for these corporations that are educated with these facts, the greater the chance that it may enlighten them and possibly make a difference. In turn, this could help some environmental issues around the world.
8. What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film?
There are several suggestions in order to solve or reduce the affects that are made by the movie. The film showed that both industry and the government are working and conspiring together as the corporations attempt to build the trust between them and the government. Now, I’m not sure how true that statement is, but they are not far from it as it has been demonstrated in many cases. There needs to a separation between the government and corporations. Some Pennsylvania towns have determined that corporations are not a person. By help resolving the issue with corporations, we can decrease our impact on the earth.
9. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
I believe that the film did a good job on introducing environmental problems and how they are being fueled by certain corporations. This movie was in no way focused on environmental issues, but an entire array of sustainability problems. This is the greatest example of the matrix.